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The Highway 13 and Whiteriver Avenue interchange will be closed today through Thursday, April 19, for construction work. Through traffic will still be allowed on Highway 6 and Highway 13.

Bookcliff, Mount Sopris & South Side Conservation Districts and Garfield County Vegetation Management will provide cost sharing to landowners for controlling noxious weeds.An on-site visit is required to identify weeds, address resource issues and develop a weed management plan. The deadline for spring application is July 15. Applications for the program are available at the conservation district office by calling 945-5494, ext. 105, or visit www.bookcliffcd.org to download an application. To arrange an on-site visit, call the conservation district at 945-5494, ext. 105, or Steve Anthony, Garfield County Vegetation Management, at 625-8601.

One Book 4 Colorado is a statewide campaign to promote early literacy by providing free new books to every 4-year-old in the state. Putting a book in the hand of a young child can inspire a love of reading and help that child develop into a life-long learner.Colorado Reads: The Early Literacy Initiative is an effort to help ensure all Colorado children are reading at grade level by the third grade. This year's book, in English and Spanish, will be distributed to 4-year-olds at all Garfield County libraries and doctors' offices from April 18-29. All families with 4-year-olds are eligible to receive a free book. Info: 625-4270 or www.gcpld.org

"Edcate," a 30-minute weekly radio show designed to help inform Spanish-speaking families and residents of the Colorado and Roaring Fork River valleys about the educational opportunities in the area, debuted recently on La Nueva Mix in Glenwood Springs.Hosted by Yesenia Arreola, youth outreach coordinator at Colorado Mountain College, and Janeth Niebla, community organizer from the Manaus Fund, the show explains the importance of getting an education, from preschool through college. Experts on various topics will be guests on the show.The show airs on 94.5 and 102.5 on the FM dial from Carbondale to Parachute, and from Parachute east to Summit County, every Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.

The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public comments on a revised natural gas pipeline proposal south of Rifle.In December 2011, BLM released a proposal for a 22.3-mile natural gas pipeline called the Kokopelli Phase II, and two water lines that would share the pipeline trench for 4.1 miles. Construction on the pipeline and water lines was proposed to begin in 2012.Due to current natural gas market conditions, Bargath LLC, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Williams Midstream, has said the gas pipeline is delayed at least until 2013. Construction on the water lines, which are proposed by WPX Energy, is still proposed for 2012. Splitting the project means excavating separate trenches at different times.As BLM begins the environmental assessment of this revised proposal, it wants to hear any concerns or issues from the public. Because the pipelines would share a corridor for 4.1 miles, BLM is continuing to analyze the natural gas pipelines and the water lines under the same assessment to better evaluate cumulative impacts.The natural gas pipeline would be a buried 16-inch pipeline that would cross 22.3 miles from the Dry Hollow Compressor south of Silt to the Rulison Compressor near Anvil Points. Approximately 7.6 miles would be installed on BLM-managed lands, 0.9 miles on national forest lands, and 13.8 miles on private property. The two 6-inch water lines include the 4.1 mile section that would parallel the proposed Kokopelli trench, plus an additional 0.6 miles of private land. The water lines would provide water delivery and collection capabilities to gas fields in this area and would reduce water truck traffic.Comments are requested by May 2, 2012. The proposal and map are available on-line:www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/crvfo/GSFO_MasterPlansOfDevelopment.html. Written comments and questions should be directed to Colorado River Valley Field Office at 2300 River Frontage Road, Silt, CO 81652 or by email to BLM_CO_SI_ RVFO_ Webmail@blm.gov.

Out-of-work Rifle residents are being invited to participate in a new entrepreneurial team aimed at creating new business opportunities.The Rifle Regional Economic Development Corp. is partnering with Economic Enrichment NetWorks of Grand Junction to create a Discovery 9 Opportunity Team (D9) in western Garfield County. The goal is to provide underemployed or unemployed residents with an opportunity to learn a new field of employment, discover entrepreneurial opportunities, partner with a seasoned business professional and research local business needs. A D9 Team comprises nine members: seven unemployed adults, one staffer from the local Workforce Center, and one active business person. The purpose of the program is to create new business opportunities and possibly launch new businesses. Additionally, the program aims to integrate the D9 members into the community to help them find jobs and serve as a community think tank for local businesses. The Rifle D9 Team will meet one to two times a month for one year and will be supported by the Rifle Regional Economic Development Corp., the Rifle Workforce Center and local area business professionals. "This is a great opportunity to network, learn and grow job skills and most of all, contribute to the economic vitality of the region," said Julie Bjurstrom, executive director of the Rifle Regional Economic Development Corp. To learn more about joining the D9 team, contact the Workforce Center at 625-5627 or the Rifle Regional Economic Development Corp. at 625-4202.